


Seishin

by The_OTP_Fangirl



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Rating May Change, Spirit Animals
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-03-30
Updated: 2016-08-10
Packaged: 2018-05-30 03:34:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,377
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6407092
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_OTP_Fangirl/pseuds/The_OTP_Fangirl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In a world where rich people are protected by beings known as Spirit Animals, Feliciano Vargas and his brother have no place. That is, until they find themselves making a bond with the ageless beings on their birthdays, something never seen before in the poor.</p><p>Barely used to their new life partners, the pair find themselves thrust into a mission to investigate the reports of demon possession up north, testing their strength, mind and ability to love.</p><p>(Rating may change)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Spirit Animal Shenanigans](https://archiveofourown.org/works/6297445) by [Kittyreaper](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kittyreaper/pseuds/Kittyreaper). 



> Another new fanficion? I'll get round to finishing them all soon, promise! I just need to finish up my exams.
> 
> Also, kudos to Kittyreaper for not only inspiring this fanfiction, but also being really supportive and beta'ing it for me!

The musky feel of an overfilled room hung in the heat-thick air, a mixture of sweat, body odor, and other less than appealing smells. People clung together in the low flames of the torches, not needing to rely on each other for warmth now that summer had arrived, but doing so anyways for comfort. The lighting was dim enough to trip over some unseen foot, sunlight creeping in through the boarded windows and sticking as far away as it could from the dark shadows of the looming building where the sick huddled in their dying hours.

Through the low murmur of the crowd, a high-pitched apology repeated itself in quick succession, belonging to a rather petit boy as he pushed past the swarming mass of people trying to get to the low-hanging exit. To his chest he clutched a flat object, one goal in mind.

“Sorry!” the boy ended his mantra before stepping out into the sunshine, letting the fresher air invade his senses. He had amber eyes fringed with long lashes, pale skin loosely dusted with freckles over his nose. However, a good layer of grime made it look like a washed out grey; his narrow face was soft and rounded, but angular cheekbones made themselves known through hints of baby fat spattered over his features. His auburn hair was cropped short, messy from using an old knife to do it, and one, stubborn curl stood up from the others, dancing on the side of his head as he moved.

The boy’s name was Feliciano Vargas, middle grandson of the late Romulus Vargas, and he was celebrating his sixteenth birthday.

Many would expect a boy to spend his birthday with his family, or at least with friends, but on this occasion, Feliciano was eligible for the greatest test of his life, and he was late. It wasn’t his fault – Heracles – one of the men whom he shared a room with – had agreed to wake Feliciano up on time, but the man had slept in and, subsequently, so had Feliciano.

Running along as fast as his lithe body could handle, Feliciano prayed that he was going to arrive in time, a burst of energy propelling him forward at the idea that his brother was missing a day of work to see it.

He had to be there. He _had_ to!

 

* * *

 

The town was filled with people of all ages and statuses, from the slums where Feliciano lived, to the rich who came from the countryside. Everyone gathered on the occasion of a sixteenth birthday, when the young would find out if they had the ability to bond with a spirit animal.

Spirit animals were creatures of powerful, ageless beings; guardians who bonded with humans they felt needed protection. They took an animal form, but could also mimic the form of a human, which made for easier conversations and protection. Normally they chose the more wealthy folk, people who went to war for their country, fighting bravely with a creature fighting beside them. Sometimes it was a townsperson. It was never someone from the slums, but they were all invited on their sixteenth birthday, the age in which a human was deemed to be truest to themselves according to the creatures, to try.

Speeding off carelessly, Feliciano shoved his way through the crowd and towards the register whilst waving his birth certificate about, proof that he was actually sixteen.

“You’re late.” the man taking count sneered, his upper lip curling up in distaste as he read the certificate. Dropping hot wax on the left corner, he checked if it was real, only to shove it back towards the boy. “Go join the others in the square, and don’t move a muscle until I tell you to.”

“Yes sir!” Feliciano chirped quickly, taking the paper carefully in his hand and scurrying into the roped off area where two other people stood.

One was definitely of noble birth, a tall teenager with emerald green eyes and a snakelike attitude about him. He scowled at Feliciano, looking like he’d be happy to stomp his small frame into the dirt. Feliciano had to hold back snickers though, the faintest trace of a grin settled on his face as he observed the boy’s wild eyebrows. Honestly, it looked like a couple of very hairy, very busy caterpillars had crawled onto his face and died!

Beside him was a girl Feliciano had seen before, the baker’s daughter who, if he remembered correctly, was called Kirstine and had sometimes snuck Feliciano a little bit of food when the boy had really been starving. She was dressed in a simple blue dress, smiling sweetly at Feliciano as the boy joined them.

Chuckling lightly, Kirstine made space for Feliciano and looked around at the crowd, before whispering in his ear, “they’re staring at us like we’re animals for auction!”

“Si.” Feliciano nodded slowly, his own eyes scanning the assembly and locking onto one person in particular.

The male in question wasn’t anything special to look at. He wore an old suit that was in dire need of repair over a lean body, steely hazel eyes fixed on Feliciano’s face with lips pressed disapprovingly. He had sharp, high cheekbones and his chin jutted out, the whole expression accounting to a furious scowl. This was Lovino, Feliciano’s older brother by a year. Lovino was celebrating his seventeenth birthday, but chose to give the whole celebration to his brother, taking a day out of work so that he could help with Feliciano’s disappointment and give some reason to celebrate afterwards.

Most brothers would send a supportive thumbs up, waving to their sibling while wishing them a good luck, but Feliciano knew his wasn’t like that. The older always had been rude, arrogant, bitter and quick to take offence, but at least softer on the inside, where no one else could see. He’d missed his sixteenth birthday trying to get a job to keep food on the table, and Feliciano had never quite forgiven him for that; the younger had later stolen an animal toy from a noble’s garden and given it to his brother as a present in lieu of a spirit animal. Lovino had sworn at Feliciano for having such a shitty idea, but both of them knew it was hidden under his scrappy old pillow.

Silencing the low chatter of people around the square, three tall, cloaked figures stepped out from within them pulling from within their cloaks a vial of grey liquid and a small pot. The ceremony was beginning, starting with the clearing of the mind to try and attract an animal.

First, the vial was handed to each teenager, a silent order to drink it. All of them did so quickly, although Feliciano’s hands shook so badly that the figure in front of him had to take the vial to reduce the risk of it smashing on the floor. Next, each of the three figures dipped their fingers into the pot and drew a marking on their foreheads, right between their eyes. Smudged onto them was what resembled a doorway with a line through it, inviting a spirit animal to step forward and request a bond.

Now, all they had to do was wait. As the effects of the potion set in, Feliciano closed his eyes and prepared to go through what would probably be the most disappointing moment of his life, apart from his grandfather’s death.

 

* * *

 

He felt strangely warm, like he was covered in a furry rug. Curiously, Feliciano stumbled onto his hands and knees, eyes scanning the area. Where was he? It was definitely the countryside, but nothing warm and sunny like he was used to. No, this sky was overcast and grey, despite it feeling like an average summer day. His senses were amplified too, the smell of rabbit filling his nostrils and the sound of crinkling leaves flowing into his ears.

 _“Do you wish for my protection?”_ a heavily accented voice called, speaking with such authority it seemed filled with knowledge and older than the withered man who used to read Feliciano stories at night.

Opening his mouth, he tried to ask ‘what?’ but all that came out was a rough sounding bark, causing him to jump back and stare down at himself with horror. His hands weren’t hands, but paws, brown in colour and definitely not human. Completely terrified, he looked around, spotting a golden wolf with blue eyes watching him. The creature was much larger than the average wolf and, thankfully, didn’t look hungry. It didn’t stop Feliciano stumbling back and away though.

 _“I will protect you.”_ Now Feliciano was sure the voice came from the wolf. _“Your human cultures are different from mine, but I will protect you for the rest of your life if you will accept my offer.”_

Feliciano frowned a little before nodding slowly, trying to open his mouth to convey the answer. He’d been halfway through a bark when it struck him.

This creature was a spirit.

 _“I accept!”_ the boy somehow managed to gasp out through his mind, eyes widening.

As the wolf stepped closer and touched his forehead, the world went black.

 

* * *

 

“He’s my _fucking_ brother you damn wolf! Let me near him or else I’ll rip your fucking head off, just try me!” Lovino’s more enraged than usual voice assaulted his ears as Feliciano awoke, finding his back to the floor.

Groggily, he opened his eyes to see the wolf from before standing over him, growling at the crowd that had gathered around Feliciano. Quite a few had backed off, murmuring under their breaths, but Lovino, characteristically, was instead trying to pick a fight with the ageless being, both growling at the other ferociously. For a moment, it seemed as if Lovino was going to back away and give in, offering some chance for Feliciano to find out what was going on, when the wolf pounced, knocking Lovino straight to the floor with a loud thump and a following crack.

Feliciano screamed, leaping to his feet and racing over to the wolf. He tugged at the golden fur and then flinched as the massive beast spun round, growled at him and then dropped his expression upon realizing who stood there.

“Please! Stop!” Feliciano begged, shaking with fear. “Don’t hurt Lovi; he’s the only family I’ve got left!”

Almost immediately, the wolf paused and observed Feliciano with those wise blue eyes, carefully calculating his next actions. Taking a long sniff of Lovino’s body, it recoiled, looking to the sky and nodding, before stepping back and letting Feliciano scurry to help his unconscious brother.

“Stop.” One of the cloaked figures set a hand on Feliciano’s shoulder, face hidden by the black hood. His tone sounded nervous, shocked. “There is a spirit animal bonding with him.”

_That was impossible! People only bonded with spirit animals on their sixteenth birthday! Lovino was seventeen and had missed his chance long ago._

“W-what?” Feliciano finally managed to gasp out, staring down at his brother’s impossibly still body.

And that was when a shape started to swirl and form before his eyes.


	2. Chapter 2

Why was he so comfortable? Lovino was sure he’d fallen on solid stones, not soft, mossy ground. He frowned slightly, trying to curl his fingers to get a better feel for the texture and finding he couldn’t. _Great_. Someone must’ve stamped on his fingers and broken them, meaning he couldn’t work and would therefore have to send his baby brother out instead. Lovino had sworn he wouldn’t do anything like that and- wait.

Nope, Lovino could definitely remember watching a fucking huge wolf appear by his side whilst the boy was laying on the floor. The giant thing had knocked him to the ground and that had been the last thing Lovino remembered.

_“Hola!”_ a thickly accented voice called, attracting Lovino’s attention. It sounded familiar to the regions that Lovino knew he and his family came from, yet much older, thicker. He shot upwards and frowned at where it had come from, spotting a large leopard with long, well built legs and a lean body, biologically designed for streamlined movement. However, instead of having black eyes, the beast stared at him with endless green, almost humanoid intelligence flashing in their depths.

Almost instantly, Lovino felt his hackles rise as he rose to his feet, a low growling escaping his throat that sounded slightly too animalistic for his liking. Oh well.

_The leopard didn’t seem deterred though, simply flicking its tail and stepping forward. “Don’t get in such a fuss! I’ve been waiting for you. Sure, when you didn’t accept or open your mind last year I was willing to believe that maybe you’d been ill. Now you’ve opened your mind though, and I can bond myself to you!”_

“What the fuck are you?” Lovino snapped back, the growling crescendoing. He didn’t trust this being at all, and even if he was some kind of spirit creature it wasn’t physically possible for a deal to be made… right?

_“You know what I am.”_ the leopard took a bounding leap closer, stopping just in front of Lovino, and cocking its head. Lovino could almost feel the smile that should’ve accompanied it.

The growling only seemed to grow as Lovino attempted to reply, but he paused for a moment, feeling a strange and peculiar swishing from behind him. As he turned, the rough noise cut off, and Lovino found himself making a different one – one of shock – as he observed the spotted tail and body that shouldn’t have belonged to him, yet did.

“What have you done to me?”

In response, the leopard simply sat back on its haunches, cocked its head once more and sent out another message. _“Nothing. You’ve finally opened your mind so I can offer you protection. Remember that I can hear your thoughts, though – those growling sounds don’t translate to anything in my language._

_“You’ve hidden yourself from me, and it’s the presence of another spirit animal which has allowed you to open your eyes. Stop lying to yourself; bond with me.”_  
  
“I’m not bonding with you!” Lovino tried to growl, but his words stopped short when the leopard took a step closer, extended his nose and tapped Lovino on the nose.

Did he just ‘ _bop’_ him?

That perfect, sunny little world faded, and blackness took over.

 

* * *

 

 

Groaning, Lovino opened his eyes once more and immediately froze, his gaze staring around at the room he was in with suspicion. Sure, he’d woken up in a few awkward places – like the time he sold his body to the baker’s son for the night in return for food to feed Feliciano for a week and woken up in the pigsty outside – but this was different. He was in a townsperson’s room, the sheets soft, but not soft enough for nobility. From the painting on the wall, it was probably the mayor’s house.

_Shit. Holy fucking shit._

Oh, and there was a leopard sleeping at the foot of his bed.

“What the _fuck?!_ ” Lovino screamed, practically falling out of the bed in his haste to get away. However, he quickly found the sheets were wrapped around his legs, and subsequently went face first into the wooden flooring with a thump.

The leopard was up in moments, springing over to Lovino and rather helpfully aiding him in removing the sheets. It didn’t seem surprised when Lovino let out another terrified shriek and ran towards the door, only to have it flung open in his face. Could his day get any better?

“Lovi!” Feliciano shrieked, wrapping his hands around his brother’s body and squeezing tightly. “There was a big uproar because you passed out and bonded with a spirit animal and you’re seventeen, and also because we’re both from the slums and that boy Arthur got a spirit animal too and because there was so much risk of us getting hurt the mayor brought us back here and-“

Jeez, did that boy ever take a breath? Lovino pressed his hand against his brother’s mouth and waited for Feliciano to begin rapidly tapping his wrist before letting go.

“Sorry fratello… I kinda got carried away, didn’t I?” Feliciano laughed softly, cocking his head to look at the leopard that still stood behind Lovino, green eyes observing both brothers curiously.

“Oi, are you going to tell me what the fuck’s going on or not?” Lovino grumbled quickly, directing the attention back onto him. “Where’s the gigantic fucking wolf?

“Here.” A deep voice answered, slowly followed by a huge, heavily built man with clothes that really didn’t seem to suit him, clinging far too tightly to such a muscular build. He had eyes the colour of the sky and blond hair, slicked back with oil that shone in the light.

The sight of the man caused Lovino to freeze, his eyes wide in shock. Oh no. If that macho looking potato man was the wolf, then that meant his brother had bonded with a spirit animal, and that meant he’d be hauled off to the army! Feliciano wasn’t meant to be in the army – the poor boy would just crumble under the pressure!

Lovino’s need to protect his brother swum to the surface, and instantly his paralysis was broken. He stormed forward, hands already forming fists ready to battle.

“Who the fuck do you think you are?” he snapped furiously, lifting one of his fists ready to beat the shit out of the wolf spirit who dared stand in front of him, dared bond with his brother. “We were safe where we were! We lived a safe and happy life and you _fucking_ came along to ruin it! Plus, you attacked me you piece of shit! If you attack me, then how the hell are you going to protect my brother?”  
  
The wolf, who’d been attempting to get a word in, squirmed slightly, looking visibly uncomfortable with the situation.

Yet it was Feliciano who leapt to his guardian’s aid, not Ludwig himself. The younger brother stepped forward, squaring up his brother in a way he hadn’t done in years.

“ _Lovino Vargas_ ,” he hissed, angrily, “don’t be telling me such crap. Our life was awful before – now we’ll get the chance to live a much happier one. Besides – Ludwig didn’t attack you! He was helping you bond with your spirit animal!”

For a brief second, Lovino faltered. His brother hadn’t spoken to him like that in ages, and never in such a furious manner. Feliciano never spoke to him like this… which could only mean one thing:

“What the hell did those damn spirits do to you?! They’ve brainwashed you, haven’t they! I’ll beat every single one of them-”

A vaguely familiar voice cut through Lovino’s words, thick accent contrasting the wolf’s, and even his brother’s. “Spirit Animals are meant to protect. We don’t brainwash our partners, nor do we try to harm them in any way.”

Spinning around, Lovino opened his mouth to let into this new stranger, only to freeze. A man stood at the end of his bed, tall and lean, appearance the type one would expect to work in the sun all day. His muscled build was that of a laborer too, dark curly hair coating a face with marks that suggested he was the type to smile a lot. His clothes were simple – a white shirt and brown trousers, the type one would expect a laborer to wear.

Yet there was no smile on the man’s face. It wore a concerned frown, worry dancing in beautiful green eyes-

_The leopard._

“You don’t get a say in this either, asshole! Who gave you permission to bond with me anyways? I didn’t, which means you’ve fucked up my life too!”

For a brief second, the concern became anger; before the leopard seemed to shimmer, form changing from human to leopard in seconds. The awe Lovino had originally been feeling at the transformation changed a moment later too, as the beast pounced at him, pushing him down to the floor.

Words echoed through Lovino’s skull, each one ringing clear and angry, yet brutally honest.

_“You wouldn’t be able to hear me if you hadn’t opened your mind to me. You agreed to the bond, whether you realize it or not.”_


End file.
